During some surgical procedures, a doctor uses an awl to punch a hole in a bone of a patient, for example, to receive a screw or other hardware that is to be affixed to the bone. The inventors have discovered that sometimes there is difficulty in locating the hole after formation due to lack of contrast between the hole and surrounding tissue. Thus, the inventors believe that applying a visible mark to the patient bone proximate the hole, to increase visibility of the site of the hole, would be beneficial.
Thus, the inventors have provided an apparatus for inking a surgical instrument.